“They lectured me about how fighting isn’t the answer, and I had to do a lot more chores that week because I wasn’t in school.”
“Are you going to tell me the same thing—that fighting isn’t the answer?”
“It usually isn’t, but it’s not really my place to tell you that. What did your mum say?”
He shrugs. “I told her what happened and she got really mad, but not at me. So I kind of thought maybe it was okay that I hit him.”
I narrow my eyes, wondering. What did this kid say that even Avi would feel justified in Lennox hitting him?
“Look, if you can avoid a fight, it’s better to do so. But there are some that are worth having.”
Lennox studies me like I’m under a microscope, but I don’t know what he’s looking for. Then, in a rush, he says, “Lachlan said Mum left me behind and wasn’t going to come back. Just like my dad. That I was an orphan.”
I draw back, the words hitting like a physical blow. Fuck,Iwant to hit this kid. Yes, I know that sounds bad, and no, I’d never actually do it—but damn, that’s just fucking cruel.
“Lennox, I—” I don’t know what to say. No wonder Avi was pissed.
“I know it’s not true. She loves me.” He just shrugs again.
“She does. She’s missed you so much in the time she’s been up here.” He trusted me by sharing this; the least I can do is ensure he knows just how much Avi loves him.
His eyes brighten, a silver sheen coating them and making the green shade spark. I think about the second part of his friend’s taunt and wonder for the millionth time who his dad is, this man who supposedly left him—if his friend is to be believed, which is a long shot, but still. I don’t think Avi would appreciate me asking him. It’s clearly a touchy subject for Lennox and not one I have any right to dig into.
“And because she loves you so much, we should probably get off the roof before she kills us both,” I say to lighten the mood.
His boyish laugh is light and unencumbered, and I give myself a mental pat on the back for helping bring him out of whatever funk he was in.
I make my way down the ladder first, feeling suddenly protective over him and needing to see him safely to the ground. When he reaches the final rung and hops off, lifting his hand for a high five, the kitchen door opens and we’re met with Avi’s wide eyes and a scowl.
Oops.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
Avonlea – Now
“The roof, Jamie? Really?” I scold the man in front of me, but I can barely hold in the smile that wants to take over my whole face.
Seeing him come down the ladder, followed by Lennox, made my heart skip a beat… and not out of fear. No, it was because I know, even if Jamie doesn’t, that he just shared something that he loved as a kid with his own kid and… damn. Just damn.
“It was my fault, Mum,” Lennox explains, eyes downcast. The smile that was on his face when I stepped outside fades to a frown.
“Nah, it’s on me, Nox. If I hadn’t told you about the roof, you wouldn’t have been up there,” Jamie says matter-of-factly with an apology in his eyes. Then his brow furrows, likely at whatever face I’m making.
He called Lennox “Nox”—just gave him a nickname like it was the easiest, simplest, most inconsequential thing in the world—and I felt everything in me shift with that single word. I can see Lennox’s wheels turning too, like he’s mulling over the name and deciding if he likes it.
Nox.
His lips pull up at the corners, eyes sparking in the afternoon sun… I guess he does.
“Nox?” he asks, testing it out for himself.
Jamie startles. We’d been locked in some kind of stare-down, so when he looks at Lennox, he must realize what he said. “Oh, yeah… Sorry, I have a tendency toward nicknames or shortened names… I can call you Lennox. I don’t know where that came from.”
“No, I like it,” he says, glee emphasizing every word. “Nox is cool.”
“Well, then Nox it is,” Jamie proclaims, and with them standing side by side, I see every similarity they share. Physically it’s mostly their eyes and their smiles that stand out, but even just the way Nox saidcoolreminded me of Jamie when he was ten.
“Buddy, why don’t you go grab your book and hang out for a few minutes in the tire swing. I’d like to talk to Jamie.”
